In a cloud computing environment where numerous server computers and multiple remote users are involved, access to remote computers must be kept highly secure to prevent unauthorized users from interfering with proper operation of the servers or otherwise compromising the integrity of sensitive data in a computer network. In the context of remote management computing, multiple users may require access to a service processor in order to monitor and manage operations of target computers. For example, multiple users may require access to a baseboard management controller (BMC) which operates to monitor health-related aspects of a rack of server computers. One user may have a level of access permission that varies from that of another user. Access permission can be predetermined according to the role of the user as a specific type of employee in a company or according to another type of security hierarchy. For example, a particular local network user may be authorized to manage the settings and actions of a service processor for local email servers, but not to access and manage mission-critical servers such as hospital operations servers, government intelligence servers, or financial institution servers. Conventionally, proximity-based identification devices such as RFID cards have been used for authenticating a particular user. However, these types of conventional identification means may require the use of bulky peripheral devices locally attached at the management computer in order to read the identification information associated with the identification device. As the identification device and associated reading device may be portable by a user from one computing location to another, these security devices are subject to being lost or stolen. Among other needs, there exists a need for secure user authentication to regulate access of multiple computer users to one or more service processors.
Therefore, heretofore unaddressed needs still exist in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.